Let s Make Art Together! The Dairy Barn Arts Center 8000 Dairy Lane Athens, Ohio 45701 740-592-4981
Welcome to Snow Camp 2016-2017. We are excited to have fun in the snow, make art, and play games this winter at the Barn! This handbook covers many important aspects of our camp and whether you are a veteran art camper or you ve just joined us this year for Snow Camp, these organizational policies will help our camp continue to grow and improve every year. As participants and parents you are an important part of this development and your input is important to us. If all parents, campers, instructors and staff agree on the general philosophies and mission of Snow Camp, we believe that we will all have a wonderful arts experience on the days that school is called off due to inclement weather. Please don t hesitate to talk with the Education Director about any concerns or questions! Sincerely, Lyn Stanton Education Director/ Snow Camp Director The Dairy Barn Arts Center
Frequently Asked Questions About Snow Camp What children can participate in Snow Camp? In order to participate in Snow Camp, Campers must be currently enrolled in kindergarten through the 6 th grade. Campers parents must have an up to date family level (or higher) membership. Is the Dairy Barn prepared to serve children with specific needs? The Dairy Barn is an ADA compliant facility and we welcome campers of varying physical and cognitive abilities. Our teaching staff are trained artists who have experience in childcare and we keep up to date background checks on all employees. Our staff however are not specifically trained in child development or accommodating children with specific needs. Therefore, if a parent has a child with specific needs, they are encouraged to have a conversation with the Education Director to assess if the Barn and staff are equipped to accommodate that child in such a way that the camper will have a positive and beneficial experience. If I choose not to use a day that is paid, why is that day not credited to me? If a parent has a camper signed up for a day of pre-paid camp and chooses not to use the day, they may not credit the day to the next snow day simply because our space is limited and a day not used is a day that could have admitted another camper. We are often on a waiting list to get into snow camp so it is the obligation of the Barn to maintain fairness. If experiencing a family emergency, a credit may be issued at the discretion of the Education Director but be advised, it is not our official policy. How much does Snow Camp cost? To register your camper for Snow Camp, there is a one-time registration fee of $20.00. This fee covers administrative costs. Each year, we ask families to pay the first few days of camp in advance. For the 2016-2017 snow camp season, we ask that campers be prepaid for 3 days. Each day of camp costs $60.00 per child. We do not offer multiple child discounts. When the third snow day is used, we ask parents to prepay the next two days to keep their camper registered. On the 5 th day, we collect for the next two and so forth. What if I do not want my child to participate in outdoor activities? All campers must be able to participate in all camp activities including outside time. They must be properly attired to spend time outside. Part of the mission of Snow Camp is to provide an authentic snow day experience for our campers and this means snow men and scarves! In addition, snow camp staff is on call and limited in number. Our teachers come outside with us so there is no stay inside and help a teacher option. We do not have staff to divide the campers into indoor/outdoor groups. If a camper is unprepared for outside time, their parent will be called to either bring them the proper attire or take them home. If a camper is unprepared more than once to the point where other campers miss going outside, that camper will be disinvited from camp and no refund will be issued!
Daily Schedule The basic daily schedule is as follows: 8:30am-9:00am- Drop off/individual Activities 9:00am-9:30 am-group Activity(Artists facilitate cooperative game/art activity while others arrive.) 9:30am-11:00am-1st Art Activity 11:00am-11:15am- Snack 11:15am-12:30pm- 2 nd Art Activity 12:30pm-1:00pm-LUNCH inside 1:00pm-2:00pm- Outside Play (If too cold, indoor movie/games) 2:00pm-2:30pm- Hot chocolate time/outside to inside transition 2:30pm-4:00pm-3 rd Art Activity 4:00pm-5:00pm- Snack and Movie Time 5:00pm-5:30 pm-pick Up Time Please note: As a consideration to our working parents and taking into account bad roadways, we extend pick-up for Snow Camp time until 5:30pm. However, we ask all parents to leave their home or work place in a timely manner to allow for road conditions in order to ensure that they arrive before 5:30pm in consideration of our staff, who generally arrive at 8:00 am at the Barn and also have families, and after work commitments, and need to leave the building at 5:30pm sharp.
Arrival/Check-In The Snow Camp staff will be in charge of checking in the campers with their parents. All campers must be signed in by their grown up! Campers will make a name tag for the day. Morning Welcome After all campers have arrived we will start the morning with icebreaker games designed to build unity and make the children feel comfortable in their surroundings. Campers will be divided into three groups according to age and sometimes only two groups, depending on amount of kids. Belugas: K-1 st -2 nd Narwhals: 3 rd -4 th Orcas: 5 th -6 th Instructors will have a roster of names for each group. Pick-Up All parents must sign out their camper at the end of each day; no child may leave the building or wait downstairs unattended. A parent may send a note giving permission for a child to be picked up by another parent or adult. No phone calls please unless an emergency, please plan ahead. Absence Please call The Dairy Barn each day before Snow Camp begins if your child will not be coming to camp. Lunch Please send a daily lunch with your child that does not require refrigeration. Snack Daily snack will be provided twice a day, please send extra food for your child if they have particular dietary needs. Water Bottle Each camper should have a water bottle filled everyday to bring with them to camp with their name clearly marked on this. Even in winter time this is important for hydration purposes and good health.
What to Wear/Outside Time All Snow Camp participants are required to go outside if the weather is above 25 degrees Fahrenheit. We may not always stay out a full hour but your child should have appropriate warm clothing and weather gear. If your child is not well enough to go outside than they are not well enough to attend Snow Camp. In addition, we do not have the staff to have some children inside. We go as a group! Please do not tell your child they do not have to go outside for recess, or ask the staff to keep them in. It is a part of the camp experience and good healthy exercise! Warm coats, snow pants, boots, hats, scarves and gloves are required. A dry pair of socks and shoes for indoor activities are also required. Please make sure that you follow these guidelines, it is a hardship for the kids and the building safety to have a kid go around in wet boots all day! Paint Shirt- We have aprons for kids to use during projects, and paint shirts are recommended, but do not send your camper to the Barn wearing anything that can t get dirty or PERMENENTLY stained. Illness If a child reports she/he does not feel well and/or has a fever of 99.5 degrees or higher, the child will be removed from the classroom and the camp director will contact parent or designated emergency contact. A child should be kept at home if she/he shows any signs of illness (fever, sore throat, vomiting, green nasal discharge, or severe cough) and not return to camp until he/she has been free of fever without fever reducing drugs for at least 24 hours. Please be respectful of the rest of the participants and your child if they aren t feeling their best. Medicine -Prescription medication must be clearly labeled in its original container and accompanied by a statement signed and dated by the doctor explaining the dosages. -Over the counter medication may be dispensed with signed permission from the parent/guardian. -Children are not allowed to be in possession of any prescription or non-prescription medication. -Any camper needing the use of an inhaler or Epi-pen must provide a note from the doctor stating the reason and directions for use. Personal Items: NO DIGTAL DEVICES The Dairy Barn is no longer allowing digital devices to be brought to camp. Campers may not bring cell phones, tablets, video games, or other personal media to Summer Art Camp. Campers may bring real books, and non-electric toys if approved by the Education Director. The Dairy Barn and Employees are not responsible for any lost, stolen or damaged items.
Campers are only permitted to have their approved items during the time between classes. If you have any questions regarding this policy, please contact Lyn Stanton lyn@dairybarn.org. Books and homework will be allowed for beginning of day and end of day and during other times deemed appropriate but must be stored in backpacks during art and group activities. Please Read Carefully! Weather Advisories and Severity Levels Camp Policy If our area is declared a level 3, it means that no one is supposed to be on the road by law. If it is a level 3, we will not have camp. If at a level 1, we will have camp according to regular schedule. You can go to the Sherriff s Facebook page to check what level we are on. If this is the case, we will try to have a voicemail recording ready to go at the Dairy Barn stating as such (740)-592-4891. If after you call the Barn, the information is unavailable, you can call Lyn and check (740) 517-4239. I will also post on our Facebook page the information as I receive it. Further, if Ohio University is closed for a half or full day due to weather, camp and the Dairy Barn will be closed for the full day. More simply put, if Ohio University is closed due to inclement weather, or a level 3 snow emergency is declared by 8:00am, the Dairy Barn will be closed. OU Holidays/Breaks: If a snow day is declared on the following dates we will not have camp: Friday, November 11 th Veterans Day *Snow camp will only be held when Athens City Schools are scheduled to be in session. WE DO NOT run camp days when the Athens City Schools are scheduled to be off such as for parent teacher conferences. Homework If your child has a large amount of homework or an upcoming exam, let us know in the morning and we will arrange some homework/study time for your child. Lyn can also take some time to provide homework assistance at the request of a parent. We understand that students are on a tight schedule for learning and preparing for their exams and we don t want students to fall behind.